PROVIDENCE, R.I. — State Rep. Peter Palumbo is facing yet more scrutiny for his decision to bid last year on state beach concession contracts.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — State Rep. Peter Palumbo is facing yet more scrutiny for his decision to bid last year on state beach concession contracts.

Already the focus of a state police investigation, Palumbo is named in a complaint filed Thursday with the state Ethics Commission, which will now have to decide if his actions call for an investigation into whether he violated the state’s ethics code.

The complaint, filed by Common Cause Rhode Island, alleges Palumbo violated the code by bidding on the concession contracts, despite language that says no “member of the General Assembly shall seek or accept state employment” or “service as an independent contractor or consultant to the state” while serving in the Assembly, or for a period of one year after leaving.

“It’s pretty clear to us that there’s a violation,” said Common Cause Executive Director John Marion. “By controlling the state budget, members of the Assembly control the purse strings, and shouldn’t be allowed to stick their hands in the same purse for personal gain.”

Jason Gramitt, a staff attorney for the commission, said the commission’s staff received the complaint on Thursday and decided it warrants a discussion at the commission’s next meeting, scheduled for Aug. 19. At that meeting, he said, the commission will “get its first look at the complaint” and discuss whether it calls for an investigation.

“As of now, it’s just a piece of paper that has a complaint number, and it will stay that way until the commission sees it,” Gramitt said. “We haven’t made any determinations as to the merits.”

Palumbo, 53, was one of five bidders to seek the concession contracts at the Scarborough, Roger Wheeler and Misquamicut state beaches, according to records provided by the Chafee administration. The Cranston Democrat said he would pay the state $1,776,655 to run the food stands — turning in the highest and most lucrative offer to the state. But last October, when the state told him his bid was the highest, he withdrew his offer, saying his numbers contained a clerical error.

The state then awarded the five-year contracts to former state Rep. David Caprio, who had turned in the second-highest bid. Caprio, in turn, hired Palumbo to manage the concession stands, and it is that sequence of events that appears to have prompted the investigation by the state police.

Caprio’s only public response came last week, one day after the story broke, when he announced that he was resigning as chairman of the state Democratic Party because he could not, “at this time, dedicate the necessary time and energy” to helping Democratic candidates in this year’s elections. Among those candidates is his older brother, Frank Caprio, who is running for general treasurer.

Palumbo has not responded to repeated calls or requests for an interview.

The state’s ethics code contains a mix of civil statutes passed by state lawmakers and regulations passed by the Ethics Commission, which has authority under the state Constitution to adopt rules that “stand on equal footing with” the statutes adopted by lawmakers, Gramitt said.

Those found guilty of violating the code face fines of up to $25,000 for each offense, he said.

Amid the focus on the bids and the contracts, Palumbo and Caprio also made news for health violations at the three concession stands. At one point, the violations included meat improperly cooked and dated and food being stored at improper temperatures, but as of last Friday, all but 4 of 73 violations discovered in recent weeks had been corrected, according to the state Office of Food Protection.